Will Barber Taylor

1 DAY to go until Lion & Unicorn's 🎉10th anniversary🎉, and still no word on our appeal for release from Grok Gaol.

For 10 years we've been a place for writers to post mostly unsaleable pieces they just fancied writing. Occasionally we found a readership.

Help us get to 20 by sharing & following.

hey did you know that Bismarck was the one who nicked Alsace Lorraine from France back in the 19th century

that's why historians call him............Grand Theft Otto

It’s actually pronounced bouquet

For those of us who enjoy snooping around in the archives and are #devolution anoraks, this is an interesting read that says much about the increasing electoral & political challenges facing Trimble and the UUP at that time #stormont

From Transylvania With Love Short Story From Transylvania With Love

From Transylvania With Love #ShortStorySunday

to engage with such a diverse, rich and fascinating continent filled with people is truly bizarre. We balk at the extent of the influence of the Chinese government around the world and yet fail to offer any reasonable alternative. A dereliction of leadership and duty.

"Africa is new, revolutionary but this administration has not known that Africa has existed" so said then Senator John F Kennedy in October 1960 and not much has changed since then as Ian Linden's excellent article makes clear: www.thearticle.com/africa-as-th... The failure of western governments

Dundee University to cut 632 jobs to plug £35m deficit The University and College Union condemned the

I'm only saying this because it's public and everyone can see what's happening, but with its replacement freeze this is like a quarter of all staff. Dundee hasn't got a hope of clinging on if more rescue doesn't come, and who'll lend to it now? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Today I unexpectedly learned that scholars generally agree Pandora in fact opened a jar and not a box. The latter is due to a later Renaissance era mistranslation from the Ancient Greek. Dunno why I'm sharing this but thought folk may want to know.

Have you read Our Mutual Friend? Interesting how he reacted to accusations of antisemitism levelled against him over his portrayal of Fagin in Oliver Twist by creating a much more sympathetic and realistic Jewish characters for that book, particularly Riah.

Britain’s Iron Chancellor: Review 100 years ago this year the Labour Party entered government for the first time as the main governing party. It would be a short-lived administration, but it represented a landmark change in British po...

And here's a very nice review from @willbarbertaylor.bsky.social of the new edition of Snowden's autobiography, an ideal stocking filler for the Labour-afflicted in your life
www.thesocialreview.co.uk/2024/09/29/b...

A triumphant victory by local people saves wildlife species Fund raising efforts save a large area of scrubland to protect wildlife in central England - Strawberry Hill

What joy it is when communities come together for the greater good! Strawberry Hill farm is now a haven for endangered wildlife, thanks to an incredible £1.5m raised via crowdfunding | Rebecca Kay

@wildlifebcn.bsky.social

Major drink-spiking crackdown as it will become specific criminal offence DRINK-spiking is to become a specific criminal offence, with predators more likely to be jailed, PM Sir Keir Starmer will announce today. The aim is to simplify the current system where spiking com…

Whilst this is good news, I’d also like to see government focus on the health of spiking, and how we can increase the capacity of spiking tests/supporting victims.

I was spiked in the Parliamentary bar last year, which shows more police presence isn’t everything.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/3190832...

Digging the #OG Worzel Gummidge, my Pa into a compost heap ‘80 @tenacrefilms.bsky.social

🚨 Free webinar on inequalities in creative industries 🚨

Our upcoming webinar will focus on class inequalities in access to careers in the creative industries, as well as in access to creative degrees.

Join our expert panelists on 4th December ⤵️

www.suttontrust.com/a-class-act-...

Hi all! I’ve just joined Bluesky- so a quick tweet about me.
🌸 I am deputy director of @centrethinktank.co.uk and in oversee policy + internal decisionmaking.
🩺 I also work in health public affairs in the charity sector.
✈️ In my free time, I love to travel and explore the world.

Seeing all the good lads arrive on here

Morning.

PHM opens up the Ellen Wilkinson archives A one-day archive event in celebration of the Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson will take place at People’s History Museum in Manchester on Saturday 9 November. The event marks the centenary of her electio…

Great opportunity to see the archives at People’s History Museum associated with Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson.
sslh.org.uk/2024/10/22/p...

Must be difficult to find the time whilst editing The Spectator, one wonders how he has the energy…

Completely missed that we were holding this event on #HistoryWritersDay24

You can buy Britain's Iron Chancellor in hardback or ebook at 25% for a limited time thanks to Pen & Sword's tie-in discount code HWD24 (use at checkout)

Use the discount code here👇
pen-and-sword.co.uk/Britains-Iro...

Brilliant turnout yesterday afternoon for our Snowden event, including some of his descendants in the audience!
Fascinating panel discussion with Andrew Thorpe and Keith Laybourn, charied by @willbarbertaylor.bsky.social

Keighley Library were excellent hosts and displayed great artefacts too

Delighted to announce this fabulous free event for all those interested in Labour history

Hosted by the incredible @willbarbertaylor.bsky.social, and featuring the creme de la creme of Labour historians in
Andrew Thorpe & Keith Laybourn

Quite simply the hottest ticket(-less event) in town

Grenfell Tower report: UK government was ‘complacent and dismissive’ before deadly blaze Report slams ‘decades of failure’ in the run-up to the 2017 blaze that killed 72 people.

British politicians of all parties have been heavily attacked for failing to prevent the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in West London which killed 72 people.

Excellent article

We did some animal drawing today!

Very sorry for your loss, my condolences to you and his family.

Happy birthday!